Five years and 5.7 million donors later Kickstarter reaches the $1 billion milestone

Crowdfunding giant Kickstarter has reached a new milestone. Total Kickstarter pledges have surpassed $1 billion, the company announced Monday. The total came from 5.7 million donors, and half of the sum was pledged in the last 12 months alone. In Kickstarter’s first month in April 2009, its users raised nearly $3,900. Kickstarter, along with competitor Indiegogo, have become funding places of choice for inventors, entrepreneurs, and anyone who has an idea they’d like to make a reality.